


On The Run

by joshlerhoe



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Drug Use, Dubious Consent, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, M/M, Molestation, Statutory Rape, Suicidal Thoughts, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-24
Updated: 2016-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-10 10:30:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6953041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshlerhoe/pseuds/joshlerhoe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tyler's not as mature as he likes to think.</p>
<p>(edited version)</p>
            </blockquote>





	On The Run

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I posted this chapter yesterday but I took it down to do some much needed editing.
> 
> Also, Jerry's character is kinda based off Kiefer Sutherland in Stand By Me

One shot after another, burning down his throat. Another round. Cheering and shouting.

-

Cheap dive bars were a target for Tyler and his rowdy bunch. Low security, low prices, hot bartenders who don’t know how to properly identify a fake ID. And even if they were to catch them, who would stop them from just running, no security or bouncers. 

The Muskallunge was a great time, the first bar that he ever managed to get into. Here he met his best friend, Jerry. They were both buzzed, and hustling money at the billiards table. 

-

Tyler swilled down the last of his old fashioned, handing the empty glass back to the bartender. The scene wasn’t it’s normal tonight. He was the only of his friends to go out, all the others went to a party hosted by someone he got into an argument with a few weeks back, ended up busting the kids lip up pretty good. He was lanky and his hands were too big for his body, but he held his own, and that gained him respect among his peers.

Some angry shouts and the sound of crashing demanded his attention to the back of the bar, near the pool tables.

A man with short, golden hair was pinned up against another man, whose stature was comparable to that of the Hulk, rippling muscles and a greasy ponytail. The golden haired man had his hands up with a smug expression, seemingly egging the Hulk on.

“Look man, I won fair and square, we wagered a bet and I won, simple as that,” the golden haired man argued, peering off to the side. The Hulk huffed out a breath, dripping with venom, and shoved golden haired guy away, his friend assuring him it ‘wasn’t worth the trouble.’ The Hulk threw some money down on the table and stormed out of the bar, slamming the door behind him.

This guy was betting on pool. The scheming gears in his head rolled, as he got up from his seat and strutted his way over, hips swaying seductively.

He gingerly ran his index finger across the felt of the table, and gazed up at the golden haired man with dewy eyes. “Excuse me?” The guy whipped his head around and Tyler was met with the most beautiful electric blue eyes he’d ever seen. He was stunned.

“What’s up?” The man smiled big, a toothpick being tossed from side to side with his tongue, his presence dripping with swagger and confidence. He had to mentally shake himself to answer back.

“Uhh, are you up for a round with me? I got money if you wanna wager,” he pulled two folded twenty dollar bills from his back pocket and gently laid it on the table. A little spark flared in the man’s eyes, a grin spreading. He rubbed at the stubble on his jaw for a moment before finally nodding.

“Alright kid, I’ll play. Just for you, but only under one condition,” golden hair bargained.

“What’s that?”

“Please, don’t cry when I win.”

 

The game closed with Jerry sinking the eight-ball. Tyler sighed and propped his chin on his pool stick, “Well, that’s it, I guess.” Jerry laughed. He lost by a mile, only sinking three of his stripes, but everything he does, he has a reason for it.

“Sorry kid, better luck next time,” he collected and pocketed his winnings. Tyler smirked.

“I want a rematch, Jerry. I can sweeten the pot for ya,” Tyler dug in his back pocket, pulling out a folded one-hundred dollar bill. Jerry matched his opponent’s grin, weighing his options, finally figuring that he had nothing to lose. “I’ll even throw in a kiss for good measure,” he suggested. The winner laughed at him.

“Nah, I’ll just bet the money, you’re a little young for my taste.” 

Tyler’s composure faltered at the mention of the word young. Jerry shook his head.

“Don’t worry, I won’t nark you out. We all had a fake ID once. So how ‘bout we get this rematch underway, I’ll match your offer, winner take all?” Tyler agreed to the stipulations, shaking Jerry’s hand, and prepared to make the easiest hundred dollars of his life.

 

He had to admit, Jerry put up a pretty good fight, but in the end, Tyler was just too much for the poor guy, absolutely crushing the competition. He collected his money, and thanked Jerry for the match and prepared to leave, but not before he was stopped by a vice like grip on his upper arm.

“You hustled me, you little rat,” Jerry gritted between his teeth, pulling Tyler in close to hiss in his face. He just shrugged.

“Sorry kid, better luck next time,” he recycled the line. Jerry seemed to be in shock, pondering a thought before his icy eyes warmed up, and his scowl lightened.

“You’re pretty good, never woulda guessed a sweet little thing like you had it in ya to hustle pool. I like you, Tyler,” his name on Jerry’s tongue dripped with intent, but he had a strange thing for older guys, his name being spoke sent shivers up his spine.

“I like you too, Jerry.”

-

“Hey Ty, just one more shot, alright, I’m buying!” His friend Mark called from the end of the bar. The night was winding down but his crowd was still rowdy as ever, cheering and tipping glasses and their contents.

“Alright, alright! just this last one, then I gotta hit the ‘ol dusty trail guys.” All six of the group counted down.

“Three...two...one..and...drink!” They all downed their Alabama Slammers and triumphantly pounded their shot glasses on the counter, cheering and hollering. Tyler really didn’t want to leave his friends, he was having the time of his life. A big crash turned his attention to Jenna, who had the biggest ‘whoopsie daisy’ look on her face, the entire group erupting into laughs and shouts of “Nice goin’ Jenna!”. That’s when the bartender interjected in their party.

“Alright you guys, it’s time to go now,” she waved them all towards the door. All the kids groaned and whined, but she was set in stone. “Yeah, I’ve heard it all before, out, out, out!”

They bustled onto the icy sidewalk and stumbled around, trying to get their footing, falling all over one another in a big jumbled mess. Brendon fell straight to his ass, soaking the seat of his pants in the snow bank. A chorus of cackles burst out from everybody, even Brendon, taking the embarrassment in stride.

The rowdy bunch made their way across town to their neighborhood, upset residents flipping their porch lights on at a silent ‘fuck you’. They all kept on, that is until Brendon spotted a familiar looking car. A sour look dawned on him.

“Hey B, what the problem?” It was just then he pulled his fist back and whipped it into the driver’s side window, sending a spider cracks through the glass. The alarm shrilled out for everyone to hear. They panicked, scrambling to run away before someone called the cops, dragging Brendon along before he did the same to the other windows. 

They didn’t stop for a mile, until they couldn’t hear the alarm. “What the fuck Brendon,” Jenna hissed.

“It was that fucker Shane. That was his car. He was the bitch that fucked up our chances of going to sectionals last season, remember?” Tyler did remember. Shane passed the ball to the wrong team in the last seconds of regional finals, allowing the opposing team to score three points and take the win for themselves. It was all his fault too. Tyler suddenly understood Brendon’s sudden outburst. He offered an empathetic pat on the back.

“Guys, let’s go back,” Tyler suggested.

Being the unofficial leader of the group, he was fully aware of his influence over the others. And of course, they all respected him and revered him as a badass, and not wanting Tyler to think of them as scared, they all cheered and compiled, the group of delinquents taking off the way they’d just come.

 

Tyler made his way home just after two AM, after totaling Shane’s car, but he was far from out of the woods. He opened the front door, only to be met by his dog barking.

“No, no, shhhh, shhhh, shut up, please stop,” he hissed, trying to stop her from alarming his parents. She recognized his voice, seizing her yapping, instead deciding to bustle around his legs, jumping up on him and whining. He smiled at her, scratching at the spot under her chin.

“I knew you wouldn’t rat me out Lady, you love me so…” he trailed off and his senses sharpened. Creaking from above him. A hole of anxiety burned into his stomach. She also seemed to hear the creaking that approached the stairs, and beelined for the backdoor.

Even she knew what was sure to come, it’s happened before. His mom he could handle, it was his dad that grated on his temper. He’s condescending, rude, and well…

His father, followed by his mother, stomped their way down the steps, raging fury and all. His dad stopped at the bottom of the staircase, feigning shock.

“Oh look hun, our sweet boy is home, to whom to we owe the honor?” His mother just shooshed him and approached her son.

“Oh Ty, I’m just glad you're home safe, I hate when you stay out this late, it worries me,” she fussed over him. He especially hated this part of coming home late.

“Ty, you look a little pink, are you feeling okay, I hope you haven’t caught a cold, especially in this weather,” she held the back of her warm hand to his cheek. He brushed her away with a reassuring smile.

“I’m okay Ma, I promise, I’m just a little-,”

“Drunk. He’s three sheets to the wind, hun. This is why he acts up the way he does. You treat him like a baby. His brother never acts like this,” his father interjected

“You know what, you always-,” This time it was his mother to interrupt.

“Can you two just stop, you’re always at each other's throats, I don’t understand why,” she was exasperated. Guilt consumed his very core for making his mother sad. 

“Because you’ve raised a spoiled, disrespectful, selfish son, and I’m sick of him!” Tyler could physically feel the alcohol sharpening his tongue.

“You always push your own short comings off on her, don’t you dad? Why can’t you just face up to the fact that you fucked up as a father and now I’m paying the price for your fuck ups,” Tyler spat back.

“You little son of a bitch-,”

“Don’t insult my mother like that you asshole!” That’s when his father lost it. A sharp stinging reached up through the left side of Tyler’s face, his mother’s gasp the only thing to be heard. He couldn’t move. Not even as a child did his father put his hands on him, or any of his siblings.

He slowly raised his finger tips to where the sting gently died down, now just left with the rage boiling at his surface, a volcano preparing to burst with his father’s following words.

“That felt good, shoulda done that years-,” Tyler screamed obscenities, lunging for his father, grabbing his by the neck and pushing his back into the wall, whipping his fist back, flowing past his father’s head, through the drywall, like the car window.

He would have liked nothing more than to tear his father apart but his mother’s crying wouldn’t allow him to do so. It hurt his heart physically to hear her sadness.

He released his father from his grip, eyes downcast. He did the only thing he could, too afraid to face his mother.

He ran.

Ran away from home, adamant to never return. Never to hurt his mother again.

 

The run to Jerry’s apartment in the city was long and freezing, even with his jacket. The wind whipped relentlessly, its icy knives slashing at his face. His head was swimming with the events the had just unfolded. His father’s words, his words, his mother crying, crying about her delinquent son. It shattered his pride to say so, and he’d die before he’d admit it aloud, but his dad had a point. Why couldn’t he be like his brother? 

Zack would never disappoint their father the way he did, never make their mother worry, wouldn’t ever make her cry. He really was the family disappointment as his father once called him in a similar argument they once had, the first or second time he ran away from home. He was fourteen and made it all the way to Pittsburgh until he had to return. He’d never seen his mother cry tears like that. Tears of fear, thinking he may never come back, she thought maybe something had happened to him, and she was right to think that.

He hated how he had to do that to her. He had to scare her like that. He hated it.

He hated himself.

He couldn’t wait to just get to Jerry’s and drink all his thoughts away. Drinking always make him feel better. Better about everything.

 

He knocked loud on the door, knowing for sure Jerry was already asleep. He kept knocking until he heard shuffling inside.

The door cracked open, uneasy. A sigh of relief came from inside.

“Jesus Christ, Ty. Knockin’ like that at this time of night, had me thinkin’ you were the cops, Why you here anyways?” Tyler invited himself in, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Jerry lived in West Columbus, a shady poor neighborhood so walking around at night, especially being drunk and alone, was very dangerous, so keeping the doors locked at all times was essential to live here. Jerry said he learned that the hard way. He never went into too much detail with his stories, and Tyler never pushed to know. He figured if there was something Jerry wanted him to know, he’d just come right out and tell him.

But Jerry could take care of himself in a way that Tyler couldn’t. He was street smart, kind of a tough guy, so living in a rough part of town wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle. Sometimes, Jerry gave him almost a 1960’s street tough kind of vibe, dirty t-shirts and jeans, twirling a switchblade. Wasn’t he gonna say something?

“Oh uh, my dad and I got into a fight, so I just kinda thought I should come here, maybe, unless you want me to leave, if you were sleeping I can go,” Tyler moved towards the exit before Jerry stopped him.

“Oh Ty, always so nice, you know my home is your home, especially if it’s super early, you’re cold, and my bed is warm…” he gestured to his bedroom with a big smile. Tyler playfully glared at him, until he decided that he really was cold, and Jerry’s bed would no doubt we soft and warm. He shed his jacket, and kicked off his shoes. The older man threw his arm around Tyler’s waist and led him into his bed. The older man pulled the covers over them both, spooning into Tyler.

“Oh man, you really are cold.” He giggled at the contact of Jerry cuddling in closer. Tyler’s eyelids suddenly left like lead, sleep begging out to him.

Just before he lulled of, he felt warm lips on his neck, sucking gently, his hold around Tyler’s body tightening. He giggled softly, tilting his head to give Jerry better access to the sensitive skin. The older man’s hands slid up underneath Tyler’s t-shirt. His mouth was hot on his cold skin, tongue flicking, teeth nipping.

But in typical Tyler fashion, he had to ruin the heavy moment, when Jerry’s arousal dug into his back. He pulled away, stuttering nervously. He suddenly felt shame. He couldn’t do this, he was too scared. If he were to go through with this and have sex with Jerry, he could get into a lot of trouble, and his best friend might get thrown in jail because of him. If he caused any trouble for Jerry, he’d never forgive himself. This guy was kind enough to not beat him up after hustling his money, he even understood Tyler in ways nobody else ever could. He was Tyler’s closest friend, and he wanted to do anything he could to make Jerry happy. But Tyler was just so tired, he could hardly keep his eyes open.

“I promise Jerry, we will, just not tonight,” he yawned and laid back down.

Sleep, was such a wonderful thing, it cured all of life’s diseases.

 

Tyler woke early to the sounds of drawers being opened and ‘vrrrp’ of zippers. His eyes cracked, stirring gently out of his sleep. His head killed him, every sound intense. He sat up slowly, careful not to move faster than he knows his hungover body likes.

The blond man bustled around, throwing clothes and money into a duffel bag. This peaked Tyler’s natural curiosity. It looked like he was getting ready to leave.

“Hey Jerry, what’s up? You goin’ somewhere?” The older boy looked at him, pausing his quick movements.

“Oh, hey, looks who's finally up. Alright, hurry it, we’re gettin’ outta here, we're going to Boston, you and I.” He couldn’t completely process all the information Jerry was feeding him.

Where did this come from? Why Boston? Why both of them?

“Jerry...what?” He felt very awake now.

“Just like I said, we’re gonna go-” 

“Yeah yeah, I heard you, but why are we going to Boston?” He smiled gently at the boy. Jerry came over to the bed and knelt down, speaking to him softly.

“I don’t like seeing you like this. I hate the way your dad talks to you. I can’t stand to see you sad, it hurts me. So I wanna take you away from here, so it can just me us two, alone, just the way it should be, and-” Tyler cut him off before he had the chance to go on.

“I’m not sure, I mean, I love the idea of it just being us, and finally getting to leave my dad, I would love nothing more,” he paused before continuing.

“But, I couldn’t leave my mom like that, I worry her enough as is, and then my friends, I can’t just leave them, they’re my whole life. And I’m just not sure how it could work between us. You’re twenty-seven, I’m seventeen, we can’t-”

“But Ty, you’re almost eighteen, it’s basically the same thing. And you call those people your friends? Ty, they just use you for free drinks. And that Jenna girl, I know she has a thing for you, and all that time you spend with her, but you hardly spend time with me anymore… I miss you Ty.” 

“No, no, Jenna and I are just friends, we’ve known each other our entire lives, there’s no way she’s into me, we’re basically siblings, and I’d never forget about you, especially not for Jenna, I’ve never felt for her what I’ve felt for you, you’re special to me, Jerry.” He was exasperated. He never knew he make Jerry feel neglected. His father was right, he never stopped to think of how others felt.

 

“But, what about my mom? I could never leave her.” Jerry eyes iced over. Tyler knew what that meant when his eyes went cold.

“What about her? She let’s your dad talk to you like that, you’ve told me all the things he’s said about you. How could she choose her husband over her own son? Sure, she says she loves you, but did she defend you last night? I know how these fights with your dad go, and she just lets him get away with that? Tyler, look, I can give you what she can’t. I can take you away, I can get you away from him, please, just give me a chance?”

 

Jerry’s words were just so sincere, so heartfelt, he really cared about Tyler, and he was offering to whisk him away, to where it can just be the both of them. He could offer him what the people holding him back couldn’t. It’s much better off this way. His mother won’t have to see him come home drunk, watch him stoned and unable to move. He owed her that much, and maybe by actually staying away from them all, she won’t have to suffer. He owes her this.

“Okay Jerry, just the two of us.” He leapt up, into the older man’s strong arms, laughing uncontrollably. 

-

The car window was cracked, bringing in the chilly air, whisping over Tyler’s face. They didn’t feel like the icy knives, like last night, but much gentler, lighter. They seemed to be washing over him.

He breathed in deep, filling his lungs with the frosty aura, exhaling, feeling something he’s never felt before. It was nearly tangible.

He felt free.

He was finally free.

 

“Jerry, I’m freezing,” Tyler whined, the sun set well below the horizon on the endless highway. He wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing the skin, creating heat friction.

“Well then, roll up your window, genius,” the older man laughed. He really didn’t want to though, he didn’t want to stop feeling the wind on his face, but he was so cold, he couldn’t stand it any longer. He caved, rolling up the window, instantly feeling a little sense of loss. 

But he didn’t need to feel the wind on his face to feel the freedom. He had Jerry, who promised to whisk him away, just the both of them to Boston. He was going to care for Tyler, make sure he was safe, never leave him. This wasn’t the first time a man had given him that line, but Jerry loved him, and he loved Jerry, and he would trust him no matter what. He owed him that much.

Tyler gazed over at Jerry, taking in his image. His golden hair messy, eyes narrow, tan skin, jaw strong. He was the poster boy of ‘manly’ in Tyler’s mind. Everything he wanted. Jerry was powerful, dominating, he knew what he wanted and he did whatever it took to get what he wanted. 

Sometimes though, he got a little too rough with Tyler. He just didn’t understand though, but it wasn’t his fault. Jerry was a really simple guy, he didn’t understand Tyler’s mental weaknesses, and it was partially Tyler’s fault too. He never really took the time to explain to Jerry why some things bothered him, or why he just couldn’t do certain things.

 

“Jesus Christ, Ty, chill out, I wasn’t really gonna hit ya, I was just messin’ around,” Jerry teased, fist still wound back as Tyler cowered, his arms covering his body to protect from a strike.

“We’ll only stop by the party for a few hours, I want you to meet my friends, quit making it such a big deal.” Tyler hung his head down, embarrassed at the way his anxiety was such a buzzkill.

“I adore you Tyler, but God damn you are fucking annoying as hell,” Jerry fumed after Tyler started asking about an ex-girlfriend of Jerry’s who started harassing him and threatening to beat Tyler. He didn’t understand why Jerry was the one getting offended in all this.

 

Tyler knew he just needed to toughen up. ‘Life didn’t come with trigger warnings,’ Jerry had told him that before. It just wasn’t as easy as he seemed to think it was. He couldn’t just wish all his anxiety away and be magically cured, and that’s why he drank. To release all his pent up inhibitions and just have fun with his so-called-friends.

His friends. Jerry was right about them, they were just distractions and they all used him. What would they care that he’s gone now. They knew just as much about his rough relationship with his father as Jerry knew, and they knew longer than Jerry did, but they didn’t try to help him, they didn’t offer to help him, or even talk about it to him about the situation

But Jerry was taking him away, from his father, from his “friends”, and from everything else. They were gonna start new, just the two of them.

“Jerry?” His voice was small, quiet under the engine.

“Hmm?” The older man glanced his way, a smile breaking out on his face. Tyler kept bashful, gingerly reaching out, lacing his fingers with Jerry’s, his warmth spreading to Tyler.

“Thanks. For everything you’ve done for me,” emotions welled up in his throat, obstructing all the things he wanted to say. He hated when he got so emotional, and Jerry hated it even more.

“It’s not that big of deal,” the older man replied, somewhat coldly. Jerry didn’t like emotional displays, and when Tyler gets emotional, like he is now, he will get real short, get condescending, but it all came back around to the fact that he just didn’t understand Tyler’s emotional shortcomings. He didn’t like to deal with it.

“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to get worked up, but, you’re just special to me Jerry, you’re my best friend and… I like you, a lot,” tears threatened to spill out, evident in his voice.

“Ya know Ty, you’re really special to me too. After my last girlfriend, I didn’t think I would ever connect to someone else, but then I met you,” he paused, tightening his grip on Tyler’s fingers.

“I like you a lot too, Ty.” He was a bit shocked by Jerry’s odd breach of character by this emotional display, but he would happily accept the return in feelings.

 

The road to Boston was long and tiring, but the lights of the city were breath-taking, like nothing he’s ever seen before. The sky was lit up, despite being the middle of the night. Tyler decided that he would, just for now, pretend that the highest lights were shooting stars, making a wish on their grace.

“Whatcha thinking Ty?” 

“Just wishing for the best, I guess.” Jerry laughed, confident as ever.

“You don’t need to hope for the best babe, I’ll make sure you’re happy.”

 

Twelve hours cooped up in a car, nonstop driving really took a toll on a guy, and once Tyler’s back hit the motel bed, he was a pumpkin, splayed out on the queen bed, the musty scent of the bedsheets wafting up as he hit. He couldn’t bring himself to care though. Closing his eyes, back straightening, he exhaled, feeling himself nodding off instantly.

 

Jerry closed the room door behind him, not bothering to lock it. His back killed, and after twelve long hours of hard driving, he wanted to follow Ty on the bed, but the gas station down the road was calling his name. He had a debit card in his wallet, and not enough beer in his hand, but that was a quick fix.

His mind was just a bit more occupied with Tyler on the bed.

He was spread eagle across the entire thing, face up. He looked exhausted, totally worn out from the drive, eyes closed. He was out like a light, completely at Jerry’s mercy. Of course, he wouldn’t ever hurt Tyler like that, he was his friend, but God, did he want to.

He roamed over, next to the bed where Tyler was, just staring down at him, pondering his next move.

Whenever he made any sort of advance on Tyler, even remotely tried to get anywhere with him, Tyler got scared, or anxious, or just started acting like a total bitch. He said he wasn’t ready, or there were too many people around. It was always something with him, and it was really frustrating.

But now it’s just the two of them, so there’s no reason for Tyler to say no.

Jerry’s hands were soft on Tyler’s neck, tipping his head to the side, exposing the flawless skin, skin just begging to be marked.

He leaned in, setting his lips on the younger boy’s neck, kissing as first, slowly advancing to suck gingerly, careful not to use any teeth or wake the sleeping boy.

His hands grew restless, wandering down Tyler’s chest, ruckin up under his t-shirt, feeling the warmth beneath his fingertips. His skin was so soft. What Jerry would give to tear all his clothes off and just fuck him. We would’ve done it the night Tyler came over, but in typical Tyler fashion, he had a hissy fit and didn’t want to. But right now, Tyler couldn’t say no, and Jerry really deserved this.

His head dropped down to Tyler’s collarbone, watching his own hand. He felt himself becoming aroused in his jeans.

He moved his hand even further down, palming over Tyler’s dick, completely soft. He really didn’t expect anything else. He felt his own dick getting harder every second he was touching the boy. He had to hurry to the gas station before he did something he might regret.

He hastily grabbed his wallet, and dashed out of the room.

-

It’s been five whole days since Tyler’s last been seen by his parents, or his friends. Not even a single text. He just vanished without a trace, and his mother was worried sick. She hasn’t slept, knowing that her son is somewhere out there, alone, and probably still angry.

“I’m calling the police,” she decided, grabbing the phone, until her husband beat her to it.

“Hun, please don’t get yourself all worked up. You know he’s fine, this isn’t the first time he’s pulled this stunt.” he tried to reason, but with no avail.

“But he’s never been gone for this long, and I called Jenna earlier to see if she’s seen him. She hasn't, none of the kids have. If he isn’t with them, I don’t know who he could be with,” she was fuming at her husband’s pride, always clouding his judgement. Tyler really was just like his father.

“Well, maybe this is just what he needs, a little time on his own in the real world. You baby him, that’s why he throws a fit every time something doesn’t go his way.”

“You may not care what happens to your own son, but he is my baby, and I’m going to do what I have to for him to come home safe, and for the record, hun, he has been gone for this long, when he ran away to Pittsburg with that man,” her words cut through him like knives. He loved Tyler with all his heart, but he just thinks this is just what he needed. But if it was going to bring his wife solace.

“Okay, well call them,” he caved.

 

The knock on the door was music to her ears, and the officer on the step was god sent.

“I’m Officer Barakat, I got a call about a runaway teen?” She nodded tearfully, struggling to keep her breathing stable.

“Yes, I called. Please, come in, Officer.” Jack stepped in from the relentless wind, basking in the warmth of the home.

“Thank you so much for coming, I know it’s late, but he hasn’t come home or called or anything, and I just…” her words trailed off, but she didn’t need to say anything for Jack to know she was terrified.

She led him into the den where her husband sat, still as a statue, not even acknowledging his presence. He could sense the tension between the two of them, but that wasn’t his concern.

“So, what’s going on?” She was the one to answer.

“Tyler left a few nights ago and never came back, and we don’t know where he is, or where he could’ve gone.” He interjected before she got hysterical.

“Okay, I need the full story, why he left, where he could’ve gone. Even the smallest detail could give me the clue to finding him.” He didn’t mean to come off as pushy, but he needed to get answers.

She relayed the entire event. Him coming stumbling in drunk, the confrontation. She told him exactly the time, who he was with, and who would most likely know where he might be.

“I need his phone number too. Even though he hasn’t been answering, I can still track his phone, maybe even find out where he is, too.” Jack might be getting a little ahead of himself, but she needs hope. 

He relayed Tyler’s number to Tech.

“Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen,” he spoke authoritatively. 

“I’m having Tech contact the phone company. What they’re going to do is track his number and get his exact location. I’ll hear back from them probably in a few days, so for tonight, just get some rest, and I’ll come back when they call me.” For now, this was all Jack could do. He felt kinda bad for just leaving. She thanked him for his help, escorting him to the front door.

“Officer?” Her voice was small and scared.

“Tyler isn’t a bad kid, he’s just emotionally complicated, his father just doesn’t understand.” He didn’t quite understand why she was telling him this, but if she needed someone to talk to, he would listen.

“Tyler’s birthday is on the first… please, bring him home before that. He deserves to have his birthday at home, with his family,” her voice broke on the last word, tears free flowing. Jack placed a reassuring hand on her arm.

“I promise, I will find your son. We just need to be patient.”

-

The days he’s spent alone with Jerry have been the best of his life, just being together, with nobody to bother them, no fake friends, no condescending parents, just him and Jerry.

Jerry seems to be enjoying himself as well, and for similar reasons. Just him and Tyler, alone, with nobody to catch him fucking an underaged boy. No cops to know they’re out here, none of Tyler’s stupid friends. Nothing.

But the hard part for Jerry was the actual act of getting into Tyler’s pants.

Everytime he’d make advances, Tyler would squirm and get nervous. It was really grating on his nerves. All he could do at this point was just keep giving him alcohol, hoping to get him pliant.

The first night of their stay in Boston, Jerry prepared, buying a six pack, condoms, and lubricant at the gas station down the road. He just had to keep the booze supplied to Tyler, and the kid would be putty in his hands, and he knew it too. And if Tyler still didn’t give in, Jerry knew just how to get his way.

Tyler was an over-sensitive, empathetic person, and he would use that to his advantage if needed. He just had to get him easy quick, before he did something he might later regret.

 

Tyler was quick to finish off his fifth bottle of Bud Lite, tossing it into the growing pile on the floor, a day's worth of empty bottles and cans littered the room. His head swam in circles, his subconscious no longer engaging, his body idle, leaning against the bed.

The marijuana smoke a thick film in the air, like the miasma that shaded his mind. He was numb. Just like he wanted. He didn’t feel his shame, anxiety, or guilt, self-loathing. He didn’t feel anything. He was blank, a shell. This is all he could ever ask for.

Jerry sat next to him, but in a different state. He was more alert, laughing at whatever was on the TV, some show just as mindless as Tyler.

“How you feelin’ Ty?” His voice was silky and deep, piercing Tyler’s head.

“I don’t think I am,” his voice was quaking, unsteady. Jerry grinned, pressing a chaste kiss to Tyler’s neck, his skin burning up.

“I can make you feel something, if you’ll let me?” His breath caught in his throat. The moment of truth, all Tyler had to do was say one little word and everything he’d worked up to would pay off. The younger boy looked back at him, eyes unreadable, expression blank.

“What?” His voice was slurred, thick with alcohol. Jerry laughed, kissing his neck again. He wrapped his strong arms around Tyler’s thin waist, pulling him in close. It wasn’t the answer he was explicitly hoping for but, he had a feeling Tyler would go along with him.

“Don’t worry about it, just let me make you feel good. I promise you’ll thank me,” he purred into the younger boy’s shoulder. Jerry stood, taking Tyler up in his arms, tossing the inebriated boy on the bed, following suit.

It wasn’t rose petals and candle light, but ever since he met Tyler, just over a year ago, he’s had the biggest hard-on for him. It took some time for him to get over the thought of him still being sixteen, but he was just so sweet, naive, and innocent, how could he resist that? And how is he supposed to resist him now, especially now that it was just the two of them, and Tyler was his for the taking?

He positioned his body over the smaller boy, gazing down at him, Tyler’s eyes unfocused, half closed. He felt primal, ready to take his trophy, his winnings, just like in a game of pool.

His teeth clamped down on the sensitive flesh of Tyler’s neck, hauling him out of his fog. The boy cried out in pain, or maybe even in shock, needless to say, he didn’t approve of his actions.

“Ah, Jerry, stop!” Tyler coordinated his arms, shoving the older man off to the side. His hand covered the bite on their own accord, applying pressure to the wound. Ironically, it wasn’t Tyler who was irate.

“I guess this is the part where you start bitchin’ and moanin’ cause that’s all you ever seem to do, Tyler.” His tongue was silver, his words filled with malice. His words are what truly hurt Tyler, not the bite. 

“No, Jerry, I just, I’m not sure if I’m ready to go all the way with you yet. I like you, a lot but, I’m still seventeen, you’re twenty-seven.” He still had a great deal on his mind, but no words would suffice to explain them. Why couldn’t Jerry understand that he simply wasn’t ready? He could feel his anxiety mixing up his thoughts.

“It’s always the same excuses outta you. ‘Oh Jerry, but I’m just a kid,’ ‘Oh Jerry, I’m completely fuckin’ mental,’ ‘Oh Gerry, Jupiter isn’t aligned with Mars.’ I’m getting sick of it, all this stuck-up attitude from you. I’ve done everything for you, and you can’t even do this one little thing for me? Who was the one who let you into his home? Who was there when your friends were off without you? Who brought you to Boston? And not one little fuckin thing for me, I see how it is.” Tyler knew his tirade was far from finished, after all Jerry was a scorpio, but he knew that continuing to deny him would just agitate him further.

He was backed into a corner, and his anxiety was tremendous at this point. He just wanted Jerry to stop his ranting and raving. He didn’t want him to be mad, he couldn’t stand the yelling any longer, his mind was in a frenzy, the drugs and alcohol sharpening all of his senses.

“Okay!” Tyler screamed, arms wrapped around himself, rocking as a defense mechanism.

“If it’ll make you happy, then, we can do it,” his voice remote in the wake of Jerry’s storm.

-

 

Jack’s day started early, unable to get a good night’s sleep. He couldn’t get Tyler’s mother out of his mind. He talks to exasperated mothers all the time, worried about their little delinquents, but her words about him being a good kid were so sincere. What she told him about this kid didn’t exactly sound to him like a bad kid. Which also told him that she probably didn’t know her son as well as she think she might.

He’s dealt with these types of kids. Wrap their parents around their little fingers, then raise hell later on. He kinda wished the father woulda talked to him a little bit. He probably would’ve given him a better picture of the boy.

He could just picture the kid, running around past curfew, painting graffiti on public buildings, underaged drinking, drugs, disturbing the peace. But hey, Jack was a bored teenager once too, he could empathize.

 

“Hey, hey, Hayley, whatcha got for me, any word back from the phone company for my runaway?” She glared at him. He deserved it really, knowing full well that if there was not a coffee cup on her desk, that meant not to approach, but if approaching was necessary, minimal communication is required.

“Yes.” Her response was short and cold.

“Yes, the phone company got back to you?”

“Well you only asked me one question, so obviously I was answering the only question you asked.” Now he was scared.

“Well… what did they say?” Her face melted a little. She sighed and looked up from her computer. He knew what that deep sigh meant. Bad news.

“They couldn’t track the number. His phone is either off or dead. What if he doesn’t even have his phone on him, what if he dropped it or something? So, what’s your plan now?”

“Interrogations are next. I hate interrogating, I start smiling every time I try to be serious.” She rolled her eyes at his complaints.

“You aren’t interrogating, your just asking questions, now go away, I’m busy,” she virtually spat, staring intently at her screen, shutting him out completely. He sighed deep, really hating this part of his job.

 

His return to Tyler’s parents was not pleasant to say the least. His mother cried and his father raved about troublesome teenage boys (as if Jack didn’t already know). It hurt him, not being able to bring back good news, but he assured the both of them, particularly her, that he still had ways to locate their missing son, and that not all hope was lost.

“So, who was Tyler’s closest friends? Anyone who he might have told where he was gonna hide out? Please keep in mind, even the smallest detail could find him.” She contemplated the question, tapping her finger to her chin for a moment.

Much to Jack’s surprise, and relief, he got five names, a lot more than he typically got, and they were all close. 

A girl named Jenna was the first on his list of hoodlums to visit, Tyler’s mother betting that if anyone knew where he was, it was her.

-

“Ty, baby, I want you to try something,” Jerry announced, emerging from the bathroom, coming up behind Tyler from where he stood next to the bed, wrapping his arms around his slim waist, catching a glimpse of the bite marks still deep blue on the younger boy’s shoulder. Marks from what they had done the night before, the memories of Tyler’s moaning and screaming, clawing at Jerry’s back.

“And what’s that?” Jerry retrieved a tiny plastic baggie from his pocket. In the baggie were these tiny squares that looked like paper with images on them. Tyler peered over his shoulder at the older man, confused.

“What is it?” His innocence was such a turn on to Jerry. He pressed a chaste kiss behind Tyler’s ear, carefully selecting his words as not to alarm him.

“It’s nothing to get worked up about, I’ve done it a bunch of times so you're perfectly okay, alright? It’s acid, but nothing too strong, it won’t last long. I thought it might be a nice reward for last night, since you were so good for me,” he laughed, a wolf’s grin on his face.

Tyler mulled the offer over. He’d heard the horror stories before of people doing crazy shit while tripping on acid, like seeing bugs underneath their skin and ripping their flesh right off the bone, or being convinced that aliens have probes in their brains so they blow their head off. 

But if Jerry was confident that he could handle it, and as long as Jerry was there with him, he felt that he could do anything.

“Okay, sounds good to me.” Jerry had to admit, he was a bit shocked that there was no dramatic scene or total freak out on Tyler’s part, it was a nice change.

“There’s my baby. I promise, you are gonna have the time of your fuckin’ life.” Tyler was nervous, he couldn’t deny that, but he would do it for Jerry. He was convinced at this point, that he would do anything, if Jerry asked him to.

 

Tyler ended up taking three of the little papers, since they weren’t too strong to begin with and he hadn’t been feeling anything. Jerry said it takes a little while to feel the effects but he figured a little more wouldn’t hurt.

It took near forty-five minutes for Tyler to feel something. He felt hot and his mouth was terribly dry. But the thing he noticed above all the other’s was the intensity of the red curtains. The color was so bright and vivid, unlike their usual dingyness. They were vermillion now, the brilliance confused a little bit. Was this it? He was expecting seeing gremlins bursting from behind the walls and bugs underneath his skin, but was this all acid did? Dry your mouth and a change in color perception? What a rip off.

“How you feelin’ Ty?” Jerry sat next to him on the floor, and seemed to be in a similar state as he was in.

“I’m feelin’ just fine, nothing really changed to be honest. I think you got cheated, dude.” He laughed as Jerry peered down at the little baggie next to him on the floor, mouthing a ‘fuck.’

“Woah, Jerry!” Tyler exclaimed, startling the older man. “Your hair!”

“What? What’s wrong with it?” A worried hand shot up, running his fingers back and forth.

“No, your hair is like, super blond! Like more than usual,” he moved from his seat on the floor over to the older man, touching the dramatic gold strands, soft as ever under his fingers. He pulled his hand back, the color coming off on his skin.

“Oh wow, Jerry, this is so cool,” he giggled, smoothing his palm over the other boys hair, the color staining his hand again.

“And your eyes too! They’re really blue now, it’s really pretty.” His smile was massive, his hand coming down to cup Jerry’s cheek, completely entranced by the glow. He didn’t seem to notice Jerry drawing in closer until he was right there, his forehead to Tyler’s.

Something welled up in Tyler’s chest. An emotion he would only describe as being passion. He never felt this way before, the raw emotion.

He threw himself on top of the older man, crushing their mouths together, his hands clawing to grip onto his hair, shirt, skin, anything he could get. Jerry was no less than stunned at Tyler’s sudden outburst, but he wasn’t going to object.

Tyler thrust his tongue into Jerry’s mouth, moaning loud, desperate for something, for anything the older man was willing to offer.

He finally pulled back to breathe, staring down at the mess he made of Jerry, his hair crazy, scratches across his neck, shirt rucked up.

“Oh my God.” It was barely audible but Tyler said it. The realization hitting him like a punch in the face. 

He was in love with Jerry. 

The one who saved him from his father and brought him to Boston, the one who freed him, the one he gave his virginity to. It was always him. He smiled up at Tyler, sending an arrow through his heart.

He wanted to be with him forever. Just Tyler, Jerry, and Boston forever.

-  
The upper-middle class neighborhood was quiet, frozen in the time. It seemed wrong. Jack had visited the neighborhood before, he had a friend who lived nearby, and this end of the neighborhood was always alive with teenage parties, homecoming pranks, and noise complaints. It was eerie how hushed everything was.

He knocked on the door, pulling his jacket in a little closer to his body, the temperatures below freezing. ‘She better fuckin’ hurry up and answer the door, it’s cold as hell,’ he thought.

“Yeah?” A girl, looking to be seventeen or so answered. She was short and blonde, looking on edge with his presence.

“I’m Officer Barakat, are your parents home?” She didn’t humor him with the stupid cop small talk.

“Is this about Tyler?” Her voice was uptight, not beating around the bush in any form. He nodded. Even though he was the one with a badge and all the authority, he felt intimidated by her. She reminded him of how Tyler’s mother was acting, but she was much less distraught and more intense.

She led him into her home, just as warm and cozy as Tyler’s. They sat down in the den when she dove right in.

“So, what do you wanna know?” He wasn’t about to waste time either.

“Do you, or any of your other friends, have any notions of where he could be. Even the slightest detail could be the one to finding him.” She looked how at her hands dolefully, shaking her head.

“He never told any of us where he was going. We all hung out that night, and the next day, nobody could reach him. No calls, no texts, nothing. Wherever he went, he doesn’t want us to find him…” her words trailed off. He could see her eyes welling up, but was too polite to say anything about her emotional display.

“Tyler has a total of about twenty friends, fifteen of which are acquaintances. The five of us are his closest friends, and if he didn’t tell us where he was going, then he didn’t tell anybody.”

“But, if there’s one thing I know about Tyler, it’s that he couldn’t go three days on his own. He’s way too pampered to last alone.” She huffed a laugh. The gears in Jack’s mind spinned away, piecing the information together. This was all very simple.

“So, if Tyler isn’t mature enough to live on his own, that means that he’s with somebody. Probably someone older. Do you know anyone who’s older than Tyler that he would trust enough to run away with?” She thought for a moment, slowly shaking her head.

Her head suddenly snapped up, her eyes blazing, her hands balling up into tight, quaking fists.

“What? What is it?” He physically flinched as she growled a name through her clenched teeth.

“Jerry!” This was a name he hadn’t heard before. His parents probably didn’t know about him, which personally didn’t sit well with him. She explained without his prompting.

“When Tyler was sixteen, he met Jerry and hustled him at pool. Tyler wouldn’t shut up about him, going on and on about the fuckin’ guy. They started hangin’ out more and more and Ty wanted me to meet him. As soon as I met Jerry I didn’t trust him. I just got those bad vibes, and I didn’t trust his intentions and I still don’t. I mean, what does a twenty-seven year old want with a seventeen year old? I know he’s trying to get into Tyler’s pants, and I’ve warned him, but Ty is so love struck with the guy, he won’t listen to anything anybody has to say. Ever since he met Jerry, it’s like he isn’t the same Ty anymore. He hardly hangs out with us anymore, and when he is with us, he’s always texting Jerry. And Jerry is always guilting him, making fun of Tyler’s anxiety, and all that shit. It makes me sick just thinking about the two of them alone. Who knows what Jerry’s manipulating him into doing?”

Everything Jenna just explained to him were classic signs of an emotional abuser. He’d isolate Tyler from his friends and family, manipulate him, prey on his naivety. Tyler was in a very volatile situation, possibly in danger.

“Okay Jenna, this is very important. Do you know of a certain place where Jerry could’ve taken Tyler, someplace private?” She sighed and just shook her head.

“Well do you have his number by any chance?” By his surprise, she did. She had such a bad feeling about Jerry, she forced Tyler to give her his number, just in case something happened. Good thing she did too. 

He gave her the same speech he gave Tyler’s parents about contacting the phone company, if they couldn’t find him etc. But this felt difference. He felt more of a sense of urgency to find Tyler, knowing he was in a predators hands.

“Wait!” Jenna stopped him. He really didn’t have time to talk but she was adamant.

“Tyler’s my friend, but there’s something about him you need to know.” The uneasy look on the girl’s face intrigued him. Who knows, maybe what she has to say is something useful to him. She pondered for a bit, finally speaking.

“Tyler isn’t like the rest of us, he isn’t strong like the rest of us. See, we don’t care what people think of us, we don’t care what nobody gotta say about us, but Ty is so much more sensitive, and because he’s so sensitive, he can’t handle things like we can…” she trailed off. He was sure there was a point to what she was saying, but if she could hurry up and get to it, that could be great for him.

“Before, he used to be really depressed, and he told me once that he wanted to kill himself, but that was a few years ago, just before he ran away to Pittsburgh. I know he’s depressed again, but I’m not sure how bad it is this time. He needs help. What if something bad happens and he…” her eyes filled again with tears and terror.

 

He felt a new sense of urgency as he demanded a quick word back from the phone company about Jerry’s number. He had a possible suicidal teenager alone with a predator. This situation couldn’t get too much worse, but of course Jack didn’t want to jinx it.

Everybody back at the station could feel how on edge Jack was, so it was no surprise how pissed he got when the phone company got back with nothing to offer him.

“Jack, calm down it’s okay, we still have ways to find them,” Hayley assured, sensing how frazzled he was becoming.

“I know that but we just don’t have the time to be fuckin’ around, this kid is god knows where with a guy who will turn on him in an instant if Tyler isn’t useful to him anymore, and I’m just worried for him.”

He dealt with shit like this all the time, squirrely teens thinking that they’re grown and able to take care of themselves, running off, putting their parents through the wringer with worry. But this is different. Tyler isn’t off with his friends, getting drunk raising hell. He’s in the clutches of a dangerous person and he may not even know it. He isn’t aware of his situation, and by the time he realizes, it could be too late.

-

“Hey Ty, there’s something I kinda wanted to bring up,” Jerry told him, the rumble deep within the older man’s chest as he spoke alerted Tyler to pay attention. He had been so blissed out, his head resting on Jerry’s chest, he had been on cloud nine for what felt like hours.

“Hmm,” he hummed, shifting his hand further up the older man’s shirt, tracing his fingers over the expanses of skin.

“Well, the guy I got the acid off of was tellin’ me that he’s heading to Hartford for a party and that there’s gonna be like, strippers and shit like that and I told him I’d be there, so…” he trailed off.

Tyler lifted his head from its spot on Jerry’s chest, looking up at the older man, not believing what he just heard.

“You...you want to go to Hartford...for strippers? For fucking Strippers!? Are you fucking kidding me, Jerry!? You want me to go to Hartford for strippers!? I thought it was just gonna be the two if us, what happened to that?” He was beyond livid at this shit.

“Oh here you go, what’s fuckin’ new?” Tyler jumped up from his position on the bed, standing and contemplating murder.

“You always do this shit to me Jerry, I think we’re having something nice, a moment even, and you gotta go say something completely fucking ridiculous and wreck everything!” He was feeling tyrannical at this point, but so was Jerry.

“I wreck everything?! Are you serious?! You always have to go on these bitch tangents and you are so fucking annoying, I don’t know why I even brought you here, you’re so fucking bipolar, you blow everything out of proportion, I can’t stand being around you half the time. Y’know what Tyler,” he stood grabbing his bag and car keys off the night stand.

“What are you doing?” Tyler was in a rage, his blood pumping blocking out all other noise. Was Jerry thinking he was just going to leave?

“You can be a little bitch by yourself, I’m going to that party, and don’t expect me to come back for your worthless ass. Fuck you, Tyler. And you wanna know what else. The only reason I ever kept you around was because you were entertaining to me, I liked fucking around with you, you were easy. Good fuckin’ luck finding someone to put up with your ass.” He headed towards the door when Tyler leapt on him, pulling him onto the ground. Jerry growled obscenities, but he could hardly move with Tyler sitting on his chest, the younger boy’s hands wrapping around the other’s throat, squeezing. His eyes blazed with fury. White hot rage.

“No you’re never leaving me, Jerry! You promised me!” Tyler screamed, clawing at Jerry’s face, his hair, smacking him, anything to aleve this violence that’s overtaking his mind and body. The older man managed to free one of his arms, sending out a loaded punch to Tyler’s mouth, knocking him away.

Jerry stood over the boy, kicking him as hard as he could in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

“You’re fuckin’ crazy Tyler, good fuckin’ luck on your own. And for the record, I lied.” And that was it. He was gone.

Tyler lay all alone in the room, processing what had just happened.

Jerry hates him. He didn’t care about Tyler? Not even a little bit? He lied? His hands shot up into his hair, tugging hard, managing to pull some out, the stressing eating away at this thoughts. He screamed, tugging at his hair, his heart feeling like it was tearing itself apart, the tears falling hard and heavy. He screamed until his throat ached, his lungs throbbed.

His body crumpled up on the floor, not able to support his own weight any longer. His wailing piercing the silence, but at the same time, it felt as if he wasn’t making a sound. His perception of everything around him had been unplugged. His fists pounded against the solid floor, the skin on his knuckles bursting open, blood spattering.

He pulled his hand back to inspect the injury. He couldn’t feel it, as if the laceration wasn’t even there. The blood bubbled to the surface, spilling over, running tracks down the back of his hand. Tyler shook his head, trying to clear this head. He breathed rugged, his lungs burning with each inhale.

“Oh no,” he breathed, peering over to the door. He was alone. Jerry was gone, and he was all alone in Boston. He forced his legs to work with him, standing uneasy, stumbling over to the door, throwing it open, a freezing rush of air overloading what was left of his senses.

“Wait, stop! I’m sorry, please!” But Jerry was already gone, not even tail lights in the distance.

“No, oh God please, don’t do this to me,” Tyler sobbed, once again falling to his knees in the frozen parking lot, not a soul to witness his shame. The one person who was there with him, who was there for him, he went and drove away. He shook his head in disbelief of his own stupidity. 

“I have to go home,” he panted, completely out of breath, his body feeling like it was melting, he was so hot. He stumbled to his feet, his head swimming, the tears free falling. “Gotta get back to Ohio,” he mumbled, his feet moving on their own accord towards Columbus.

-

 

“Okay Jack, I got something. So, your guy Jerry had a debit card. Well, if he’s driving probably somewhere far away and secluded, he’s gotta stop to buy gas or something like that, right? So, me being the clever officer that payed attention in school, I just made a little call down to the visa company to get a trace on his card.” The tone in Hayley’s voice was optimistic, something Jack’s pessimistic self had to hear. Even when she was being a fire breathing dragon lady, she was pretty helpful sometimes, but he would never admit that to her. He would never hear the end of it!

“They got a trace.” His head snapped up, slamming his hand down on the desk in excitement. His heart stuttered. 

“Where is he?” His anticipation was clawing away at him, unable to contain himself for a moment longer.

“Boston.”


End file.
